Hoodoo, Willamette Pass and Mt. Ashland don’t have enough snow to open ski lifts. Mt. Hood Skibowl is limited to operating its tubing park and a beginner rope tows by using snow it makes.

A snow measuring site inside the Timberline Ski Area boundary has 43 percent of its average snowfall thus far, but the average of all Mount Hood measuring sites is 29 percent of normal, according to the Natural Resources Conservation Service. Down at Crater Lake in the southern Oregon Cascades, the National Park Service says the park has received 17 percent of its normal snowfall.

Snowshoers, cross-country skiers and tubers will be challenged to find anywhere away from developed resorts to enjoy their activities this holiday season. The forecast for the Oregon Cascades is for mostly sunny conditions into next week, which means what little snow there is will be ice overnight then turning to slush during the day.

Mountain resorts use grooming equipment to prepare the skiing surface, so the current reported base of two-feet at Mount Hood and Mt. Bachelor can still provide a quality experience. The equipment can push snow uphill to get it ready to use again the next day. The resorts also have areas of deeper snow at higher elevations.

Jeremy Cantrell of Salem said conditions were “way nicer” than he was expecting Sunday, as he dined outside on the deck at Mt. Hood Meadows. The day marked the official start of winter, but he said the sun made it feel more like spring.

The staff at Mt. Hood Meadows and other resorts that are open are focused on what they can do, not on what hasn’t happened.

“Our job is to make the best conditions for the people who are here, not to lament about the people who may not come up,’’ said Dave Tragethon, marketing manager at Mt. Hood Meadows.

Mount Hood’s busiest resort will be in full operation through the holidays, though a couple of the lower lifts (Hood River Meadows and Stadium) need more snow for their runs to be skiable.

“Most of the action will be on the upper mountain, with our Cascade and Shooting Star high-speed quads,’’ Tragethon said. “Holidays bring out families for groomed run skiing and ski school lessons. Sunshine is always welcome, though we won’t have the steep powder terrain that advanced skiers want.’’

Timberline Ski Area plans to operate its Palmer chairlift, the highest lift on Mount Hood, for advanced intermediate skiing. Normal winter conditions are too harsh to run it in a normal winter, but the lift has been maintained in operational mode and a decision to open it will be made each morning. When Palmer is open in winter, it usually offers the best skiing in the Pacific Northwest.

Timberline also has skiing on its Magic Mile, Pucci, Stormin’ Norman, Nolly's and Bruno's lifts, though the Jeff Flood Express (its lowest lift) needs more snow.

Snow is spotty down at Mt. Hood Skibowl in Government Camp, though Skibowl has been able to make enough artificial snow to have its Snow Tubing and Adventure Park in operation on the east side, plus two rope tows for a terrain park and beginner lessons. Skibowl’s lodges and other recreation offerings will be open daily during the holiday, including the popular tubing hill it manages at Summit Ski Area in Government Camp (though the ski lift there is not running).

New Year’s Eve extravaganzas will go off on schedule at Mt. Hood Skibowl and Mt. Hood Meadows.

Mt. Bachelor is also feeling the low-snow blues, but its lift network is open between Pine Marten on the west and Rainbow on the east, though the Summit and Northwest Territory need more snow. Outback will open Thursday, but users will be required to stay on groomed runs. The resort has about 20 kilometers groomed in its Nordic center and its tubing hill is also open.

Anthony Lakes in the Elkhorn Range has the best snow conditions in the state with 3.5 feet, primarily because of its 7,100-foot base elevation. But with only one chairlift and 800 vertical feet of skiing, it is much smaller than other Oregon resorts also operating.